KILLER INSTINCT or INSTINCTIVELY KILLED???

I always tell people saying if I was a wrestler I'd want to be called Jimmy "never say die" Smuda. Seriously, it would stick! Now,  I love it when something unexpected falls into your lap. A good friend of mine came up to me and said "So I have a connection, Would you like your own cable t.v. show"? My response? FOR REAL?

As the details became more "realistic" the shot of getting my own cable access show seemed a long shot at best. I was told 1,000's of people apply (it's FREE...DUH) and the chance is slim, but why not. 

Long story longer...I submitted the application, waited..and GOT IT! ARE YOU SERIOUS?Then came the heart wrenching news of you have to have your first show by THIS MONDAY (keep in mind, I got this info on WED). My first reaction was, "Well...that would have been nice". Then something clicked in. That 

NEVER SAY DIE attitude. See I believe you either have that KILLER INSTINCT, or in life you suffer the possibility of being INSTINCTIVELY KILLED. There has to be that drive, that passion that becomes the fuel in which you survive on. You know you have this when everything and everyone says "There's no chance", and sometimes that everything and everyone is YOU YOURSELF.

It's more then an OVERDRIVE button, or a PUSH, or an adrenaline rush. It's like this. Ever

 see the movie "point break" with one of the most amazing actors of all time keanu reeves? HOW SILLY! OF COURSE YOU HAVE! There's this ridiculous scene where Patrick Swayze jumps out of a plane, away from the thespian (aka keanu). Mr. brilliant (again Keanu) has no parachute so he's faced with a dilemma. Either let the bad guy get away...or JUMP and HOPE. Mr. Fantastic (by now, you get it...Keanu) jumps out of the plane and grabs Swayze in one of the most incredible cinematic scenes since......well since Mr. Amazing (KEAAAAANUUUUU) jumped the city bus in speed......the man is a god kids! (full sarcasm intentional, except the parts that are completely true).

That's what a never say die attitude looks like. NO is not an option. Quitting doesn't even make sense, and not trying is completely unacceptable. 

READ NEHEMIAH CHAPTER 6 from the message and you COMPLETELY get what I'm saying..

So....Shadow Boxers is born......encouraging fighters to keep fighting...

CHECK OUT THE TRAILER...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YMborTAOxs 

GOD USES TOILET PAPER......

So you ever have one of those "feel sorry" for

yourself moments. You know, "no one loves me", 

"does anyone know I'm alive" type of deals. I wanted

to take a break from blogging to really concentrate on 

concentrated prayer. 

Of course when you commit to a intense prayer time 

to refocus, refresh, and re evaluate who

you are, is when you seem most attacked. 

Yesterday was that day for me. I was in

the middle of a very "stellar" feel sorry for me moment. 

I mean this was a good one!

REALLY GOOD. Everything from, Am I even called to be a pastor?, 

Am I a good pastor? dad? husband? The infamous 

"I HAVE NO "REAL FRIENDS"...whine..

Oh yeah! I was clicking on all cylinders. 

I did all the "HOLY THINGS".. prayed, wept, 

threw dirt on my head (ok i didn't weep) 

I even read out of Job 

(for some reason felt i could relate)

I needed encouragement....

So I prayed for my own Eliphaz!

This guy named Eliphaz comes to Job's rescue 

in Chapter 4

(Message)

He says this: 1-4 The Eliphaz from Teman spoke up:

"Would you mind if I said something to you? 

Under the circumstances it's hard to

keep quiet. You yourself have done this plenty times, 

spoken words that clarify,

encouraged those who were about to quit. 

Your words have put stumbling on

their feet, put fresh hope in people about to collapse. 

But now YOU'RE the one in trouble, you're hurting!

You've been hit hard and you're reeling from the blow.

But shouldn't your devout life give you confidence 

now? 

Shouldn't your exemplary life give you hope?

Such inspiring words out of Job. Did it help? NOPE.

Here's how God works in the most unusual, creative, 

outstanding lavish ways.

My daughter has this THING. She loves 

to write little notes around my house. 

When she's "doing her duty". She loves 

to write littlenotes on the toilet paper so 

the next "dutier" will find them.

My notes have been "Daddy is the greatest",

"Bella loves Mommy"

etc etc.

As I continued in my downward spiral. 

I went to my bathroom to shave.

I had just come out of a prayer time, reading this

scripture,and felt even MORE dopey.

Then the TP hit me. I looked down. 

My 6 year old writes these

words that shredded me.

Spelt in the phonics of a 1st grader...

"I LOVE YOU EVRITHENG 

aboout you...Just the waye You Are"..

Enough said....

Proof God even uses toilet paper...

HoW's YoUr 30?

There are times in your life when you really feel like your onto something, like you've really grabbed the heart of God. 

"30" is one of those things in my life currently that I feel God can take use as a catalyst for my leadership. Here's where it was born. 

A couple weeks ago, I began pondering what 2009 would look like. How can I get young people to grow consistantly and continually? I realized this. In about 2 and a half months peole will begin pondering in their minds the things they will do in 2009. Some will call them goals, some will deem them new years resolutions. Thin in 3 and 1/2 months (and 10 pounds added onO from now, everyone will have forgotten those "deemed' goals and life will continue, roll on , nad move forward. This produces an endless cycle of inconsistency in our lives, and gives us no strong bar for growth. One night during a quiet time, and in the name of measuring spiritual growth, I had this idea (or vision you could say). What if we were able to get people to continually evaluate their spiritual growth "DURING" THE GROWING PROCESS? (Think looking at yourself in the mirror as a child and "phisically" watching yourself grow). What if we were able to set goals, make commitments to God (LARGE and small) and measure our positive motion (movements towards God) throughout a 30 dayperiod. Roughly 12 times a year, stand up against a wall and mark off our "growth". I presented this to my "Remnant" (leadership Institute) and quickly the phrase "HoW's yOuR 30? (think New York accent "how you doin? but cooler) was born out of their spiritual creativity. What we came together to plan is a 1 year worth of "30's". Every 30 days for the next year we are going to challenge a group of about 150 students to evaluate, re-evaluate, and re-evaluate again their lives all in the name of finding who they are in Christ. The goal will be to be able to have a continual bar as which to gauge themselves by:

Eph 3:17-20 says this: So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

The word dwell comes from the Hebrew word "MISHKAN" which means "to live in". My hopes and prayers are that if we challenge people (especially this generation) to pull out the spiritual measuring tape every 30 days. To truly be honest with themselves and ask "HAVE I GROWN? or am I stunted spiritually?" If were able to monitor growth DURING growth itself, imagine how REAL God becomes to us! 

Make this covenant with God. Share your thoughts and your growth. You can check out what some of the youth are committing to  at 

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=26639725265&ref=share

SIMPLY FOOLISH....

So I'm in my quiet time the other day, and I come across a blog by my good friend John Piper (he actually doesn't know we are good friends as of yet...but that's besides the point). My good friend Johnny P, writes how "KNOWLEDGE INCREASES MYSTERY". Think about that for a moment. Knowledge increases mystery. He argues against the point that more knowledge "reduce the mystery, and therefore diminish wonder and worship". 

    So I'm thinking to myself. John John. Are you saying being a naieve is bad? Proverbs is laced with the descriptions of fools. Saying how we are not to be foolish, and seek prudence. In Proverbs 23:9 it says "Do not speak to a fool, for he will scron the wisdom of your words". But we also know that 

Jesus was surrounded by idiots (fools)

Moses led morons (fools)

and Saul was annointed by God and became a fool.

Paul actaually touts himself as "WE ARE FOOLS FOR CHRIST".

Then even goes on to say sarcastically to the Corinthians "We are fools for Christ sake, but YOOOOOOUUU are wise in Christ".

      I get John's point of Psalm 119 "How great to me your thoughts O lord, How vast is the sum of them". I even get how Paul several times quotes "I DO NOT WANT YOU TO BE IGNORANT OF THE MYSTERY".

But I live by a quote. "THE JOY IS IN THE CHASE"...

When a marathon runner runs, and gets to the end of his race. He's complete. The Joy is in WHAT HE DID, not WHAT HE FINISHED. You cannot rejoice in what you finished if you did not actually DO SOMETHING.

So, our complete knowledge in knowing God, comes in the joy of CHASING after him. 

Our complete understanding of HIM comes on our day of our homecoming. Job says "GOD IS GREAT AND WE DO NOT KNOW HIM"....

So the great debate. Are we too learned. It's funny the last 10 years I think sometimes Christians and followers of Christ refuse to look introspective and say "Were not serving God, were trying to corner God. Figure Him out. Package Him, Market Him, and distribute Him.

I ask myself, how was Enoch able to be in favor with God? So little written about him yet  There's a mystery to that relationship. I would be the house that it was because Enoch loved God for God. Didn't kill himself trying  to figure Him out for domintion purposes.

    Now I'm no one to argue with my best friend Johnny P (and please know I'm not). I'm simply bringing up the notion......"ARE WE TOO LEARNED". So book smart, and "expierince" armed that we've stoped serving/loving/honoring/cheerishing/ God....for just being God. Simply food for thought.

***ThE iDiOt.....